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Vodafone snubs Libra in favour of growing M-Pesa digital money
by Mwendwa Kivuva 27 Jan '20

27 Jan '20

Vodafone has withdrawn from Facebook’s digital currency initiative Libra, as regulators and bureaucrats circle overhead. While Facebook might have become accustomed to sitting in the regulatory spotlight, it seems other companies are not as accepting of the attention. In an increasing tsunami of regulatory scrutiny, Vodafone has become the latest company to withdraw from the Libra initiative, joining the likes of Paypal and Mastercard. “Vodafone Group has decided to withdraw from the Libra Association,” a Vodafone spokesperson said. “We have said from the outset that Vodafone’s desire is to make a genuine contribution to extending financial inclusion. We remain fully committed to that goal and feel that we can make the most contribution by focusing our efforts on M-Pesa. We will continue to monitor the development of the Libra Association and do not rule out the possibility of future co-operation.” https://telecoms.com/501960/vodafone-snubs-libra-in-favour-of-m-pesa/

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] UK balks on copyright intermediary liability
by Barrack Otieno 25 Jan '20

25 Jan '20

Listers, FYI Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Joly MacFie via InternetPolicy <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Date: Sat, Jan 25, 2020 at 4:34 AM Subject: [Internet Policy] UK balks on copyright intermediary liability To: internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org <InternetPolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> It has been announced that, post Brexit, the UK will not implement the European Copyright Directive, issued in March 2019. which transfers copyright liability from users to internet platforms, https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51240785 https://www.m-magazine.co.uk/news/government-has-no-plans-to-implement-copy… -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast -------------------------------------------------------------- - _______________________________________________ To manage your Internet Society subscriptions or unsubscribe, log into the Member Portal at https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login and go to the Interests tab within your profile. - View the Internet Society Code of Conduct: https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/ -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] Internet Gov Weekly Brief (W4Y20) : UN SG warns of “dark side of technology”; UN experts call for investigation on Jeff Bezos’ phone hacking; WEF on Dangers of Digital innovation; Microsoft data breach; Fines for EU privacy breaches reach 114 million.....
by Barrack Otieno 25 Jan '20

25 Jan '20

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Mamadou LO <alfamamadou(a)hotmail.com> Date: Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 6:59 PM Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] Internet Gov Weekly Brief (W4Y20) : UN SG warns of “dark side of technology”; UN experts call for investigation on Jeff Bezos’ phone hacking; WEF on Dangers of Digital innovation; Microsoft data breach; Fines for EU privacy breaches reach 114 million..... To: africann(a)afrinic.net <africann(a)afrinic.net> Hi all! For your documentation, kindly find our weekly web review on Internet Governance <https://internetgov.news/internet-gov-weekly-brief-w4y20-un-sg-warns-of-dar…> with some main titles featured below. Cordially =================================================================== *INDEX / MAIN NEWS* - *The dark side of technology among ‘four horsemen’ threatening our global future, according to UN SG* - *UN backing of controversial cybercrime treaty raises suspicions* - *“New technologies are creating new digital divides”: UNDESA World Social Report 2020* - *World Economic Forum Global Risks Report Highlights Dangers of Digital innovation* - *At Davos, UN Broadband Commission advocates for financing inclusive meaningful connectivity for sustainable impact* - *France and the US have agreed on a truce regarding a dispute over a French tax on American tech companies.* - *Microsoft Leaves 250M Customer Service Records Open to the Web* - *Fines for European privacy breaches reach 114 million euros: report* - *Glenn Greenwald Charged With Cybercrimes After Embarrassing Officials in Brazil* - *The Dubai Financial Services Authority supports National Cybersecurity Strategy by Launching a Cyber Threat Intelligence Platform* - *UN experts call for investigation into allegations that Saudi Crown Prince involved in hacking of Jeff Bezos’ phone* - *Here Is the Technical Report Suggesting Saudi Arabia’s Prince Hacked Jeff Bezos’ Phone* - *IGF 2020 Call For Validation of Thematic Tracks * Read full review here : https://internetgov.news/internet-gov-weekly-brief-w4y20-un-sg-warns-of-dar… _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/africann -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: What Are the Top 4 Mobile Money Purchases by African Youth?
by Twahir Hussein Kassim 25 Jan '20

25 Jan '20

Something to ponder on... ---------- Forwarded message --------- What Are the Top 4 Mobile Money Purchases by African Youth? <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> *By Wayan Vota on January 15, 2020* [image: mobile money program] Digital financial services <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> in sub-Saharan Africa are changing rapidly with diversity in usage and uptake on such a diverse continent. Recently, GeoPoll embarked on a study to examine how Africa’s youth in six nations are engaging with financial services. In The State of Financial Services in Sub-Saharan Africa <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…>, GeoPoll presents the findings from an extensive mobile web survey in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire with around 400 youth aged 18-35 from each country. Thus, the data focuses on populations who have access to a mobile phone and basic internet services, which often represents the target population for retail banks and mobile money services <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> . While topics studied included income streams, spending habits, payment types, investment decisions, savings patterns, and more, there is one graphic that especially surprising. Top 4 Mobile Money Purchases by African Youth [image: mobile money purchases african youth] GeoPoll <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> found a surprising consistency across all six countries, where mobile money has a 28% average use rate. Youth <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> in each country spent most of their mobile money on very similar products. Mobile money was the most popular payment method for: - Gambling – 63% of respondents used mobile money for online gambling - Home Internet – 54% of respondents paid for internet access using mobile money - Mobile phone airtime – 53% of respondents logically used mobile money for airtime - Paid television services – 53% of respondents bought preium TV using mobile money Mobile money was used least as a payment method for non-digital purchases, such as transportation (10%), non- alcoholic beverages (12%), clothing (13%) and groceries (13%). The Troubling Rise of Online Gambling The GeoPoll results tie in with other reports that gambling overall – on and offline – is a real problem across the continent. Sports betting in particular, is fueled by enthusiasm for wagering on European football teams and punters rely almost entirely on mobile money to make bets and collect winnings. Kenya’s youth are the biggest gamblers on the African continent <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…>, and over 12-million betting account holders lose an estimated $2 Billion annually. The top 12 sports betting and gambling websites in Kenya have total financial turnover above 250 billion, more than the national recurrent budget! The rise of mobile-money powered betting is causing an equal rise in gambling-related social ills <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…>, including addiction, poverty, and mental anguish, including suicide. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has even said he would support a complete ban on gambling in the country, though many see the tax-centric threats and actions <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> as a thinly-disguised tax shakedown versus a real concern for public welfare. The post What Are the Top 4 Mobile Money Purchases by African Youth? <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> appeared first on ICTworks <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> . What Do Others Think? Check out the Comments <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> New Funding Opportunities for You <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> Recent ICTworks Posts - What Are the Top 4 Mobile Money Purchases by African Youth? <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> - Apply Now: €180,000 for Digital Solutions on Gender, Climate, EduTech <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> - Bot or Not: Can You Tell What is Human or Machine Written Text? <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> - Apply Now: Paid Global Health Corps Fellowship Roles in Digital Health <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> - Apply Now: Free TechWomen STEM Mentorship with US State Department <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> - Apply Now: Paid Facebook Artificial Intelligence Residency Program <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> Subscribe to ICTworks Now <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c7&…> [image: Be Famous in ICT4D] <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> Reach 20,000 ICT4D Experts Today! - Are you a donor looking for new solutions from innovative technologists? - An implementing organization that wants to share your impact stories? - Or a researcher who wants your papers to be read and change minds? Then you're reading the best way to reach over 20,000 digital development practitioners today - an ICTworks post <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> ! ICTworks readership: global, professional, engaged - We have 20,000 email subscribers <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> around the world - over 50% are outside the global north. - 80% of our subscribers are mid-level staff (5-10 years experience) or senior staff (10+ years experience) in all manner of organizations. - 75% are active subscribers, regularly opening our emails, and over 4,000 subscribers open any given email. Engage this readership now with a guest post <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…> ! Thanks for your interest in ICTworks - an ICT4D practitioner community. ICTworks is an initiative of Inveneo, FHI 360, TechChange, and Intrahealth International. Previous emails <https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?e=be896e5eca&u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c7&…> *Our mailing address is:* ICTworks 1825 Connecticut Ave NW 8th Floor Washington, DC 20009 Add us to your address book <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/vcard?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c7&id=0…> Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/profile?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c7&id…> or get crazy and unsubscribe from this list <https://ictworks.us4.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=84e9f392a668e74df589375c…>, but if you really want to do that, we'd love to know why <wayan(a)wayan.com?subject=Leaving_ICTworks>.

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Affordable Housing: How to unlock funding
by Barrack Otieno 24 Jan '20

24 Jan '20

In Summary - Government should not abandon the Affordable Housing Project due to lack of funds. - The concept of digital assets can be technically tweaked and re-purposed to finance the affordable housing project. - Wanjiku can then buy one or several of these ‘securitised’ digital tokens based on her financial capacity and without being coerced. - This level of flexibility and the possibility of opening up the whole market to the outside world can easily mop in financial resources that remain untapped due to the lack of trust that the current government systems have. https://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/walubengo/2274560-5417404-13ra9ka/… -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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MPESA 'Hakikisha' Privacy Issues
by Nick Ngatia 23 Jan '20

23 Jan '20

In 2020, Safaricom should do something about the data privacy concerns raised in various fora. I think one of the most controversial features that was introduced in 2019 was Hakikisha. Touted as a way to reduce money sent to the wrong recipients, it has become a major headache for those who are conscious about privacy of personal data. It is a good thing that you can only 'hakikisha' upto 5 times per day. However, this limit does not seem to work on mySafaricom app. The basic argument is that just because I need to send you money, you don't have to know my full names as they appear on ID. Secondly, this service has been abused by fraudsters multiple times to access personal data that they should otherwise have not access to. The lack of a limit on MySafaricom App means that a fraudster can guess random Safaricom numbers and get their full names as they appear on ID many many times in a day. The problem is that Safaricom does not seem to do anything about all the concerns raised from different quarters about the Hakikisha feature. One viable recommendation has been to give each MPESA user a unique 'SafaricomID'. This ID, whether numeric or alphanumeric, *should be displayed* when sending or receiving money via MPESA. In the Safaricom registry, this ID should mirror all the users legal data and can be easily accessed by an authorized person if an issue/crime/money-sent-to-the-wrong-person-case comes up. This simple action will cut down the fraudsters who propagate their business via mobile money by at least half. If you look at it deeply, I think it is your problem if you are not diligent enough and send money to a wrong number. You simply tell MPESA what to do just like you fill a transaction advice at a bank. You can't blame the teller if you missed a digit when writing the account number and the money ended in the wrong account. Your phone number has now become a virtual nametag which you wear waiting for whoever cares, even strangers, to read your full names. I think this should stop in 2020! *And btw, anyone has a case study of the much hyped data protection law being implemented?* -------------------------------- *Nick Ngatia* Email <nick.ngatia(a)childrenyouth.org> *|* Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/niccoswagg1> *|* *Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/nickngatia> **| LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-ngatia-a6b06a7b?trk=nav_responsive_tab_pro…> * *Skype:* *nick.ngatia** |* *Phone:* *+25**4 (0) 711 42 2015* *"Development Towards Sustainability is far too more important to leave it to chance."* ---------------------------------

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Mozilla calls for openness in Digital ID systems in a new white paper
by Alice Munyua 22 Jan '20

22 Jan '20

https://blog.mozilla.org/netpolicy/2020/01/22/what-could-an-open-id-system-… > What could an “Open” ID system look like?: Recommendations and Guardrails for National Biometric ID Projects > > Digital ID systems are increasingly the battlefield where the fight for privacy, security, competition, and social inclusion is playing out. In our ever more connected world, some form of identity is almost always mediating our interactions online and offline. From the corporate giants that dominate our online lives using services like Apple ID and Facebook and Google’s login systems to government IDs which are increasingly required to vote, get access to welfare benefits, loans, pay taxes, get on transportation or access medical care. > > Part of the push to adopt digital ID comes from the international development community who argue that this is necessary in order to expand access to legal ID. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for “providing legal identity for all, including birth registration” by 2030. Possessing legal identity is increasingly a precondition to accessing basic services and entitlements from both state and private services. For the most marginalised communities, using digital ID systems to access essential services and entitlements from both state and private services are often one of their first interactions with digital technologies. Without these commonly recognized forms of official identification, individuals are at risk of exclusion and denial of services. However, the conflation of digital identity as the same as (or an extension of) “legal identity”, especially by the international development community, has led to an often uncritical embrace of digital ID projects. > > In this white paper, we survey the landscape around government digital ID projects and biometric systems in particular. We recommend several policy prescriptions and guardrails for these systems, drawing heavily from our experiences in India and Kenya. > > In designing, implementing, and operating digital ID systems, governments must make a series of technical and policy choices. It is these choices that largely determine if an ID system will be empowering or exploitative and exclusionary. While several organizations have published principles around digital identity, too often they don’t act as a meaningful constraint on the relentless push to expand digital identity around the world. In this paper, we propose that openness provides a useful framework to guide and critique these choices and to ensure that identity systems put people first. Specifically, we examine and make recommendations around five elements of openness: multiplicity of choices, decentralization, accountability, inclusion, and participation. > > Openness as in multiplicity of choices: There should be a multiplicity of choices with which to identify aspects of one’s identity, rather than the imposition of a single and rigid ID system across purposes. The consequences of insisting on a single ID can be dire. As the experiences in India and Peru demonstrate, not having a particular ID or failure of authentication via that ID can lead to denial of essential services or welfare for the most vulnerable. > Openness as in decentralisation: Centralisation of sensitive biometric data presents a single point of failure for malicious attacks. Centralisation of authentication records can also amplify the surveillance capability of those entities that have visibility into the records. Digital IDs should, therefore, be designed to prevent their use as a tool to amplify government and private surveillance When national IDs are mandatory for accessing a range of services; the resulting authentication record can be a powerful tool to profile and track individuals. > Openness as in accountability: Legal and technical accountability mechanisms must bind national ID projects. Data protection laws should be in force and with a strong regulator in place before the rollout of any national biometric ID project. National ID systems should also be technically auditable by independent actors to ensure trust and security. > Openness as in inclusion: Governments must place equal emphasis on ensuring individuals are not denied essential services simply because they lack that particular ID or because the system didn’t work, as well as ensuring individuals have the ability to opt-out of certain uses of their ID. This is particularly vital for those marginalised in society who might feel the most at risk of profiling and will value the ability to restrict the sharing of information across contexts. > Openness as in participation: Governments must conduct wide-ranging consultation on the technical, legal, and policy choices involved in the ID systems right from the design stage of the project. Consultation with external experts and affected communities will allow for critical debate over which models are appropriate if any. This should include transparency in vendor procurement, given the sensitivity of personal data involved. > Read the white paper here: Mozilla Digital ID White Paper

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Who really owns your Data?
by Barrack Otieno 22 Jan '20

22 Jan '20

In Summary - In this era of what is known as the knowledge economy, data is definitely the engine or the resource that enterprises extract to create value. - With developments in the technology space, we find ourselves in a reality where we are generating data all the time, from any location, using multiple devices – even when we are asleep. - Data is what is transforming the wealth of data companies and their shareholders from being dollar billionaires to having trillions. - Do not be left holding the short-end of the stick in this digital economy. Spare some time and learn more about your data protection rights and begin to review and question some of the small prints you are signing off. https://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/walubengo/2274560-5426480-13rv4ce/… -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] Two major developments that are a major threat to privacy
by Barrack Otieno 22 Jan '20

22 Jan '20

Listers, Might be of interest. Regards ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond via InternetPolicy < internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Date: Wed, Jan 22, 2020 at 3:01 AM Subject: [Internet Policy] Two major developments that are a major threat to privacy To: internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org <InternetPolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> Dear colleagues, with much of this mailing list's discussions monopolised by the PIR sale debate, I thought I'd mention two articles that deserve reading, which point to the fact that we might be just months away from privacy dying a very prompt death. I find it sad that only a handful of organisations are making noise about this, and even sadder that the Internet Society nor any of its members appear to understand this this is all Internet-related and therefore of utmost importance. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51188669 -- China's facial recognition coming to a place near you. The video in this report is that of the well publicised test by a UK reporter to see how long it takes for him to be (a) identified and (b) apprehended after his face being added to the system https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/the-secretive-company-that-might-… -- it's just a matter of months before privacy stops existing altogether and everyone is identified on the streets. Clearview is one such company selling your face. There are several others in the pipeline. Governments really do not need to implement all the surveillance themselves, it's all going to be available commercially. I am now waiting for the day when the database of 3Bn identities gets hacked and we end up with massive identity fraud. Plus all the other Armageddon scenarios around this kind of database being used. I can also foresee apps and web sites for trackmygirlfriend.com and trackmyemployee.com and the more horrific namethatchild.com which pedofiles will like. Of course, none of this has been deemed to be in the Internet Society's Remit for 2020, so I'm probably sending this to the wrong forum. Let's get back to bashing the PIR sale sandbox. Kindest regards, Olivier _______________________________________________ To manage your Internet Society subscriptions or unsubscribe, log into the Member Portal at https://admin.internetsociety.org/622619/User/Login and go to the Interests tab within your profile. - View the Internet Society Code of Conduct: https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/ -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno PGP ID: 0x2611D86A

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Apple Publishes New Transparency Report on Govt Data Requests
by Ali Hussein 20 Jan '20

20 Jan '20

Listers Apple published its latest report on government requests for data in its ecosystem. From actual hardware requests to its iTunes and App Store ecosystem. What are the implications in Kenya with our new data protection law? https://9to5mac.com/2020/01/18/apple-first-half-2019-transparency-report/ Ali Hussein +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle Sent from my iPad

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